2010 NFL Draft - Round 1 Surprises | Documented Sports Handicapping

2010 NFL Draft - Round 1 Surprises

An NFL Draft isn’t a draft without surprise selections. We typically are used to Oakland and Al Davis making surprise 1st round selections but this year they snagged a great linebacker in Rolando McClain out of Alabama. Oakland gets an A with this pick with a player who will have immediate impact and is NFL ready. While Oakland didn’t make a surprise pick in the 1st round there were a few teams that did.

The biggest surprise, or reach, would be Jacksonville taking Cal’s DE Tyson Alualu with the 10th pick. Most analysts and scouts thought this was a far reach picking Alualu this early in the draft. Many feel he is a solid player but to give him top 10 money is a far cry from sanity. There were a few defensive ends on the board that were rated higher than Alualu but Jacksonville must see something special in this player.

It was no surprise that Sam Bradford was chosen #1 overall, it was simply a matter of what team was going to pick him. The Rams chose to keep the #1 pick and chose Bradford who they look to be their franchise QB for years to come. The bigger surprise is that Tim Tebow was the second QB to come off the board with the Broncos taking him with their second pick of the round. Many felt Jimmy Clausen would be the second QB taken in the draft and could have gone any where in the top 15. Well Clausen and Colt McCoy are still on the board and will probably be taken early in the 2nd round. Denver now has three QB’s after trading for Brady Quinn in the off season and last year’s starter Kyle Orton. Tebow will most likely be a few year project but Josh McDaniels most likely feels Tebow’s intangibles are what made him stand out above the others.

The Philadelphia Eagles made a splash trading picks with Denver to move up to #13 from #24. The Eagles gave Denver two 3rd round picks in order to move up. There was plenty of buzz surrounding this move for the Eagles since almost everyone felt they moved up to snag CB Earl Thomas. Well the Eagles shocked a lot of people, including their fans, choosing DE Brandon Graham out of Michigan. Graham is a relentless player that will compliment Trent Cole but many felt their biggest need was picking up a top rated CB. Graham however should be an impact player that will help the team’s pass rush immediately. Most likely they will choose a safety or CB with the 37th pick. Don’t be surprised if the Eagles even trade out of this spot to compensate for giving up their two 3rd round picks to Denver. A fan favorite is Taylor Mays with this pick but we all know Andy Reid is a mastermind with the draft and he may have other thoughts.

The Cowboys moved up to #24 to snag Dez Bryant who most feel is the top WR in the draft. There is a lot of baggage with Bryant after being suspended the majority of his junior season for having contact with Deion Sanders. There are some character issues with Bryant but his talent is unquestionable. Jerry Jones has never shied away from signing players with egos or baggage so this pick could either be genus or come back to haunt him. This kid could have a couple good seasons and turn into a TO, Brandon Marshall type player.

The first day of the draft was exciting and full of surprises. The new draft structure makes for an interesting round 2 and 3. With a load of talented players still left on the board it should make for some interesting trade scenarios and picks.

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Tags: 2010 nfl draft, draft surprises, NFL, nfl draft

This entry was posted on Friday, April 23rd, 2010 at 2:09 pm and is filed under NFL Football. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2010 NFL Draft - Round 1 Surprises

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